Drawbench



Jan. 1, 1946. E. KNUDSENYET AL DRAW BENCH Filed March 7, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 1, 1 946. E. KNUDSEN ET AL DRAW BENCH Filed March 7, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 $5 J Q M g "m N9 3 W 7 Q \m A a 1/, 8 \N QN .wm.\ SQ mm mm a 8 8 v W MN 4 m i i 1 u m mm .5 g Q lllllllllul lllllllllllll l Flh I lul -III- I lln l i l.

Jan 1, 1946. E. KNUDSEN AL DRAW BENCH e Sheets-Sheet s Filed March 7, 1944 Jan. 1, 1946. E4 KNUDSEN ET AL v 2,391,908

DRAW BENCH Filed March 7, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 km ufi 8 mm L m WAK 1 H IM W a fi .1 lllllll mm 1 mm M mm -4- wwm n R. sa m m m mw R. Q R\ mm m mm mm mm Q vm mm B mm Jan. 1, 1946. E. KNUDSEN ET AL DRAW BENCH Filed March 7, 1944 3 v Q mm R mam s m hm. mo mam wv ov n, N m .Qw 8 l n? v mm mm mw -VW 8 mm M a 8 E a Q v m Jan. 1, 1946.

E. KNUDSEN ETAL 2,391,908

DRAW BENCH Filed March 7, 1944 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS.

i r fiT'TORNEY Patented Jan. 1, 1946 2.391.998 naswnnscn Earl Knudsen and Howard H. Talbot, Pittsburgh, Pa; said Talbot asslgnor to United Engineering & Foundry Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a cor poration of Pennsylvania Application March 7, 1944, Serial No. 525,396

12 Claims.

This invention relates to draw-benches, and

more particularly to those for reducing or shaping simultaneously a plurality of elongated blanks, such as tubes, rods, bars, or other shapes. It is among the objects of this invention to provide a draw-bench which can be mounted at floor level, which is relatively low in height, which requires no pit for accommodating any part of it, which releases all of the drawn blanks from the same side of the machine, which cannot be fouled by broken blanks, and in which a drawing carriage is automatically returned to the die by one path while a plurality of carriages are sinixltaneously drawing blanks along another pa In accordance with this invention a blankgrlpping'carriage, which initially is located in front of a die. is detachably engaged from above by means that moves the carriage with a blank which it is gripping forward away from the die to a position in which the blank is released from the die and carriage and drops down away from them upon skids or transverse conveyors. The released carriage is then transferred to a return track, preferably above the drawing path, on which it is returned to a position adjacent the die. At that point means are provided for transferring the carriage to operative or blank-gripping position in front of the die so that the drawing cycle can'be repeated. Preferably, the means by which the carriage is moved away from the die consists of an endless chain the lower reach of which engages a hook on the carriage to pull it along a track. After a blank has been drawn. the carriage may be raised by an elevator to the ,front end of the return track on which the car riage is returned by the upperreach of the chain to a position above the die. At the rear end of the track the carriage may be lowered by an elevator to its original position in front of the die. {By using several carriages with their blankgripping jaws located in different positions, two or more longitudinally spaced carriages can draw blanksthrough aplurality' of dies atthe same time in overlapping succession. thereby making the drawing process continuous.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figs. 1 and 2 are plan views of opposite end'portions of my draw-bench; Figs. 3 and 4 show the end portions in elevation; Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section showing a carriage in section on the lower track and the front end of ,another carriage on the upper track; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the front it wise end of a carriage located in blank-gripping position in front of the dies; Fig. '1 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the mechanism by which thecarriages are hooked onto the chain;

carriage hook-actuating means that are behind the hooking mechanism of Fig. '7; Fig. 9 shows the carriage hook as it first engages the chain; Fig. 10 is a vertical longitudinal section through the carriage in front of the dies; Fig. 11 is a bottom view of the carriage with the hook swung up into chain-engaging position; Fig. 12 is an enlarged plan view of the elevator at the front end of the track; Fig. 13 is an enlarged'fragmentary side view of the same elevator; Fig. 14 is an enlarged view of the carriage shown in Fig. 10; and Fig. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the die support showing the ,arangement of the dies therein.

20 Referring to Figs. 1 to 5 and Fig. 15 of the drawings, a plurality of dies I are mounted in the upright front end of a support 2 fastened to the floor. Starting at a point spaced 9. short distance in front of the dies there is a horizontal as drawing track consisting principally of a pair of H-beams 3 supported from above by cross members 4 that are connected at one end to vertical columns 5 at one side of the track. These columns are held in upright position by means of long horizontalfeet 8 connected to their lower ends and resting on the floor underneath the track. The feet project from the side of the track opposite the columns. Diagonal bracing members 1 (Fig. 5) connect these feet with the columns and also support wooden strips 8 that form skids for drawn blanks that fall upon them. The blanks roll or slide down the skids and onto the end portions of the feetproiecting beyond the side of the track where the blanks may be con veniently picked up by a crane or other lifting device. Or, if desired, the blanks may roll from the skids onto an endless conveyor traveling lengthwise of the track. The drawing track is spaced from die support 2 by a pair 'of heavy bars a secured to the outer surfaces of thewebs of H-beams l and to the front of the die support.

Among other things, these bars prevent the track the full'le'ngth of the H -beams. The lower strand or reach of an endless chain l2 extends length- Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 but showing the ii the drawing track between the H-beams,

and alternate links are provided above with out wardly projecting flanges I: that slide along the top of the two plates II and thereby suspend the chain links below the plates. A standard chain can be used (without flanges i3) by merely mounting plates H vertically on opposite sides of the chain and bending their lower edges inwardly to support it. The chain extends around a drive sprocket II at the front'end of the track, and around a wheel i5 journaled in bearings l6 mounted on the rear end of the track in front of the dies. The drive sprocket is driven from one side of the track through a gear reduction unit I] (Fig. 2) that is operated by a motor [8 in front of the track. The drive sprocket is spaced from the front of the track by a spacing member I! which forms with the track and bars 8 a strut between the drive and die support 2. takes the pulling stresses so that the unit is selfcontained and does not have to depend upon the foundation or floor.

The upper strand of the chain is supported for most of its length by a channel 20 mounted on cross members 2 I above the drawing track; These cross members are supported by vertical angle irons 22 projecting upwardly from the track. The upper ends of these angles support a return track consisting of a pair of spaced parallel 2- bars 23 of substantially the same length as the lower track.

The lower track is adapted to receive and guide a plurality of tube-gripping carriages 25, each comprising a frame 28 having a pair of vertical wheels 21 near each end that travel on rails 28 mounted on the lower inner flanges of H-beams I, and horizontal wheels 29 that roll against the sides of the rails to center the carriage in the track. The wheels also confine the carriage to its path and take the off-center pull on it. As

shown in Figs. 5, 10, 11, and 14, the carriage frame is provided under its rear end with an integral cross head 3! having longitudinally extending open-bottom openings 32 through its opposite ends in line with two of the dies. 'Each of these openings tapers in a horizontal plane toward its rear end and'slidably receives and uides a pair of blank-gripping jaws 33 the front ends of which are provided with hooks that hook under the downwardly projecting rear ends of slides 34 on the bottom of the carriage frame. The two slides each have a pair of transverse ribs 38 between which the rounded ends of a cross arm 31 are disposed. The center of the cross arm is pivotally supported from a plate 38 that is slidably connected to the bottom of the carriage frame. The front end of this plate has a downwardly projecting portion which is pivotally con- This strut nected by links it to the lower end of a normally inclined forked lever 40. The forks of this lever extend upwardly and rearwardly with their middle portions pivotally connected to the sides of a block II which is reciprocable lengthwise of the carriage in downwardly projecting guide" head of the bolt. [is shown in Fig. 10, the front of the block bears against a plunger 41 projecting from a dashpot cylinder 48 mounted in the carriage frame. A piston ll is mounted on the plunger in the cylinder the front end of which 18 provided with a forwardly extending passage II in which the front end portion of the plunger is slidably mounted. This portion of the plunger is provided in its surface with a longitudinal groove 5| that tapers from its front end toward the piston. The front end of the cylinder is connected by a vertical opening 52 with the front end of another cylinder 53 suspended below the frame and in which a piston normally is maintained in a forward position by a coil spring I! compressed between it and the back end of the cylinder. When the plunger is pushed forward in the upper cylinder the fluid in front of the piston escapes slowly through plunger groove II and into passage 50 from which it flows into the lower cylinder. As piston 49 approaches the front of the upper cylinder it is retarded because the cross section of the groove is diminishing in size and thereby-gradually restricting the discharge of liquid. The liquid entering the lower cylinder pushes the piston therein rearwardly against the resistance of spring 55. when the plunger is released, the spring in the lower cylinder pushes the lower piston forward which forces the liquid out through a ball check valve 56 that connects vertical opening 52 with the inside of the upper cylinder, thereby forcing upper piston 49 back to its original position.

The upper. ends of the forks of lever II are pivotally connected by a pair of links 58 to the bifurcated upper end of a hook 59 that hangs down from the front of the carriage frame. The hook is supported by rollers III that are carried by the links in horizontal guideways I in the inner faces of two forwardly projecting extensions 82 of the carriage frame, as shown in Figs. 6, 10, and 11. The rollers are movable along these guideways. The rear ends of the links are connected by coil springs 63 (Fig. 10) to the rear, end of the carriage frame so that the links normally are held in their rear position.

when a carriage is in position ready to grip blanks 5, such as tubes or rods, projecting through the dies, it is supported in front ofthe dies in line with the rear end of the lower track by an elevator that will be described later. this position the blanks, which have had their front ends forged down, are pushed through two of the dies that are on the level of carriage cross head II and between jaws a in the openings thereof. Hook I is then swung upwardly, as

shown in Fig. 9, so that it will be engaged by one of the links of the chain as it travels down around chain-supporting wheel It. As this link engages the hook and moves forward it pulls the hook forward between the carriage frame extensions 62 to the position shown in Fig. 3; and thereby, through links 58, it swings the upper end of forked lever It forward on its pivot in block ll. This swings the lower end of the lever rearwardly to move back the cross arm 31 and the jaws which are operatively connected thereto. As the jaws move back in the wedge-shaped openings 32 in the cross head, they clamp onto the blanks. The inertia of the carriage will generally be "sumcient to hold it substantially stationary when the hook is first engaged by the chain so that the jaws will be moved backwardly in the carriage. If desired, however, positive means, such as a magnet 88 '(Fig. 10) may be mounted-in die support 2 for the purpose of initially-restraining forward movement of the carriage. Continued --travel of the chain after the blanks have been r pped in this manner causes the forked lever, the lower endof which can swing back no farther.

to move block I forward in its guides 42 against the cushioning resistance of the dashpot. The dashpot relieves the shock that otherwise would occur when the chain starts to pull the carriage away from the die support; that is, on account of the dashpot, the carriage starts to move forward slowly while the liquid is being forced out of the front of the dashpot cylinder 48. I

In order to swing the hook up into engagement with the chain, a mechanism is provided for that purpose which is under the manual control of the operator. As shown in Figs. 6 and '7, this mechanism comprises a lever 18 that is pivotally mounted on the side of one of the bars 8 at the rear end of the track. The upper end of this lever is pivotally connected by a link 1i to a. block 12 which is slidable horizontally in a guide member 18 mounted on top of the adjacent. H-beam 8. The block is reciprocated by a. piston and cylinder ll also mounted on the H-beam in front of the guide member. The lower end of the lever has a rearward extension with an inwardly projecting lug 15 at its outer end in which a. horizontal bolt 18 is slidably mounted. The front of this bolt is pivotally connected to the back of a vertical shoe 11, and a coil spring 18 is compressed between ing 15 and the front end of the bolt. The lower end of the shoe is pivotally mounted on a pin 18 projecting from the inside of the lower end of lever 18. This shoe is adapted to Yi l y engage a roller 8| on the lower end of an arm 82 which is pivotally connected to the outside of the carriage frame. As shown in Figs. 6, 8 and 11, the upper end of this arm is rigidly connected underneath the carriage frame to the upper end of a toggle link 83 the lower end of which is pivotally connected to the lower end of the other link 88 of the toggle. The upper end of the second link is pivoted to one side of hook 88, so that when the lower end of hooking lever I 18 is swung forward as shown in Fig. 9, the shoe 11 carried by it engages roller 8I and swings the arm 82 forward to thereby straighten the toggle which thus causes the hook to be swung upwardly into chain-engaging position. To assure that the hook will not drop away from the chain before it is time to do so, the upper end of arm 8| is provided with a shoulder 88 that is engaged by a spring-pressed pawl 88 on the side of the carriage when the arm is swung forward.

Before the carriage reaches the front end of the lower track the rear ends of the blanks being drawn by it leave the dies and drop down onto the inclined skids below the track. This releases the tension on jaws 88 so that the front ends of the blanks fall away from the carriage. Thereafter, pawl 88 strikes an adjustable trip 81 on the track and is released from shoulder 85 to permit the hook to fall away from the chain and to be retracted into the carriage by springs 88. The carriage continues to be moved forward by the chain, due to engagement of a chain link with a, slightly resilient member -88 attached to the top of the carriage and projecting above it, until the carriage is on the downwardly inclined front end of the track from which it rolls onto an elevator that is there waiting for it, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, 12 and 13.

This elevator is formed from a pair of spaced parallel angle irons 88 the rear ends of which rest on brackets 8I attached to the front of the track so as to form a continuation of the track for receiving the carriage. 1 These angles 'are rigidly connected together by a central yoke 82 above them. -On top of this yoke there is--an integral bearing 88 oscillatably mounted on a horizontal pin 84 projecting from a support 88 the outer end of which is slidable vertically in a' guideway-in one side of a post 88 located at one side of the track. This sliding support is raised and lowered by means of a cable 81 extending from its top up over a pair of vertical pulleys 88 rotatably connected to a bracket 88 on the front of the post. The cable then passes down under a pulley I8I mounted at the bottom of the post, and then horizontally under the track to a block I82 which is slidably mounted in'a horizontal guide I88. This block is reciprocated in the guide by means of a horizontal piston and cylinder I88 rigidly mounted below'the track. To limit tilting of the elevator on pin 88, its support 85 is provided with a pair of laterally projecting arms I88 both of which are spaced a short distance above the top of the yoke when the elevator is level. One or the other of these arms is engaged by the yoke after it has, tilted a predetermined distance in either direction. The reason for permitting the elevatorto tilt is to allow it to incline itself in one direction in front of the lower track for receiving a carriage, and in the opposite direction in front of the upper track (as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 4) so that the carriage will roll off the elevator and onto the upper track. Tilting of the raised elevator is caused by its rear endstriking the bottom of a pair ofbrackets I88 fastened to the front of the upper track.

As the carriage rolls down the slightly inclined front end of the'upper track its depending hook 88 passes over the top of a short length of chain I2 without touching it, because that portion of the chain is allowed to sag in the space between the drive sprocket and the front end of channel 28. This makes it possible to stop the carriage in case an emergency arises which requires the return of the carriage to the rear end of the track to be delayed. The carriage may be stopped in this emergency stop area by any suitable means, such as by a fluid pressure actuated stop device I81 mounted on top of'the upper track. Unless this device is actuated, the carriage will continue to roll back along the top track until a downwardly projecting point I88 on the carriage hook is engaged by a link of the upper strand of the chain supported by channel 28. After this engagement the chain pushes the carriage rearwardly on the top track until it is near the end of the track. Near their rear ends, both the top track and the upper strand of the chain are inclined upwardly for a short distance, and then downwardly the rest of the way as shown in Fig. 3. This gives gravity after the chain has fallen away from its hook. The carriage normally is prevented from rolling off the rear end of the top track by an escapement lever I I8 pivotally mounted above the track on a cross beam III. Near the rear end of this lever there is a downward projection H2 that is en aged by the carriage to stop it. The front end of the lever has a similar projection H8 which will stop the next carriage when the rear end of the lever is raised to release the first carriage. when this first carriage is released by the escapement lever it rolls onto a slightly inclined elevator that is there to receive it. The

- position of the raised elevator is indicated by broken lines in Fig.8.

This elevator is in the form of a horizontal 4 plate Ill having parallel vertical sides from the lower edges oh'hich flanges I II project inwardly toward each other and form continuations of the track with which they happen to be aligned. The top of the elevator is provided with an integral bearing I I1 oscillatably mounted on a horizontal pin I I8 projecting from a support H9 at one side of the elevator. The outer end of this support is slidable vertically in a guideway in the side of a post I20 rigidly mounted beside the track. The sliding support is reciprocated by a vertical rod l2l connected to its bottom, as shown in Fig. 3. The lower end of this rod is pivotally connected to the front end of a roughly triangular lever I22 the upper corner of which is pivotally connected to the inside of die support 2. The rear end or third corner of this lever is pivotally connected by a link I23 to a block I24 slidably mounted in a guide member I25 mounted on the floor beneath the track. This block is reciprocated by a horizontal piston and cylinder I28 also rigidly mounted on the floor and spaced from the die support by a pair of rods I21.

.Due to the location of bearings II'I on plate III, the rear end of the elevator tends to swing downwardly, but the elevator normally is maintained level by a coil spring I30 on a vertical bolt III, as shown in Fig. 8. The bolt extends down through an enlarged opening in an arm I22 projecting laterally from pin support 9, and the lower end of the bolt is rigidly connected to the top of the elevator. The coil spring is compressed between the head of the bolt and arm I22. This spring does not prevent the elevator from A being tilted by a stop Ill on the post when raised to its upper position at the end of the top track. When the elevator is raised, bearing II'I strikes the projecting rear end of escapement lever Ill and swings it upwardly to release the carriage that it has been holding on the top track. The carprevent the rear end of the elevator from kicking up when the chain starts to pull the carriage forward, it is engaged by a latch I" that is pivotally supported by a bearing I31 mounted on one of the bars. As shown in Fig. 7, the latch is swung into operative position by means of a spring I 22 connected to the bar and to a crank arm I" attached at its upper end to the latch. The latch is removed from the elevator by means of a longitudinally movable wedge Ill that is actuated by a fluid pressure cylinder I42 connected to the side of the bar. The wedge slides along the side of the bar in engagement with a roller 2 on the lower end of arm I. If it is found desirable, another similar latch mechanism may be mounted on the opposite side of the elevator.

As shown-in Fig. 3, a carriage that is connected toapair ofblanksisbeing pulled along the lower track, while another carriage is positioned in front of the dies ready to gripa second pair of blanks-also extending through the dies. After the lower blanks have left the dies. and before the upperblanks likewise-have been released, a third carriage on the rearend of the upper track willbeloweredintopoeitioninfrontofthedies for drawing the next pair of blanks through the lower dies, thereby keeping the process continuous. This'is possible because the lower setof cross head 3| of every other carriage is short enough and extends downwardly far enough to enable it to pass down between the upper pair of blanks and position its gripping jaws in front of the lower set of dies. The difference in length and depth of the cross heads on alternate carriages is illustrated in Fig. 5, as well as in Figs. 3 and 4.

A draw-bench constructed in accordance with this invention has the advantage that all of the drawn blanks can be removed from the same side of the machine. Also, by having the carriages grip the blanks from above, the latter can not accidentally fall into the chain and foul the machine. As the drawing track is located below the return track, the draw-bench does not require a pit and therefore can even be located on the second floor of a building. It likewise does not require much head room. The lower strand of the endless chain passes through the carriage, and the pivot of the carriage hook is on the same level as that strand, whereby the chain exerts a straight ahead pull on the carriage with no buckling of the chain. Due to the carriages returning to the dies by a different path than the one in which they are pulled away, no time is lost in returning the carriages, and the drawing operation can be kept continuous.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle and operation of our invention and have illustrated and described what wevnow consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. A draw-bench comprising a blank-gripping carriage adapted to be positioned in front of a die, endless traveling means extending forward away from the die and having a. lower reach for detachably engaging the carriage from above to move it with a gr pp d blank forward away from the die to a position at which the blank is released from the die and carriage and drops down away from them, a return track above the upper reach of said means, means for elevating the released carriage from said lower reach to the front end of said track, and means for lowering the carriage from the rear end of the return track to blankripping position in front of the die.

2. A draw-bench comprising a blank-grippin carriage adapted to be positioned in front of a die, an endless chain extending forward away from the die and having a lower strand for detachably engaging the carriage from above to move it with a g ipped blank forward away from the die to a said track, the upper strand of the chain bein adapted to return the carriage along said track, and means for lowering the returned .carriage from the rear end of the return track to blankgripping position in front of the die.

3. A draw-bench comprising a blank-'gripp ns carriage adapted to be positioned in front of a die, endless traveling means extending forward away from the die and having a lower reach. said carriage being provided with a connecting member adapted to be detachably engaged from above by said lower reach to move the carriage with a gripped blank forward away from the die u i m mm m, m, and t to a position at which the blank is released from the die and carriage and drops down away from them, a return track above the upper reach of said means, means for elevating the" released car- 4 I riage from said lower reach to the front end of I blank-gripping position in front of the die.

4. A draw-bench comprising a blank-gripping carriage adapted to be positioned in front of a die, endless traveling means extending forward away from the die andhaving a lower reach, said carriage being provided with a normally depend ing hook pivoted on a horizontal axis, means for swinging the hook up into engagement with said lower reach whereby the carriage is pulled forward away from the die to a position at which the blank is released from the die and drops down away from them, said hook falling away from said lower reach when the carriage is released, a return track above the upper reach of said means, means for elevating the released carriage from said lower reach to the front end of said track, the upper reach'of said endless means being adapted to engage the depending hook of the carriage to return the carriage along said track, and means for lowering the returned carriage from the rear end of the return track to blank-gripping position in front of the die.

5. A draw-bench comprising a blank-gripping carriage adapted to be positioned in front of a die, a drawing track extending forward from the die and having a downwardly inclined front end, a

return track above the drawing track and having a downwardly inclined rear end, endless traveling means having a lower reach for detachably engaging the carriage from above to move it with a gripped blank forward along said drawing track to a position at which the blank is released from.

the die and carriage and drops down away from them, an, elevator for raising the released carriage from said drawing track to the front end of the return track, the upper reach of said endless means being adapted toretur'n the carriage along the return track, an elevator for lowering the returned carriage from the rear end of the return track to blank-gripping position in front of the die, and means for tilting said elevators longitudinally to align them with the inclined front and rear ends of the return track.

6. A draw-bench comprising a blank-gripping carriage adapted to be positioned in front of a die, means for detachably engaging the carriage from above to move it with a gripped blank forward away from the die to a position at which the blank is released from the die and carriage and drops down away from them, a return track above said means, means for elevating the released carriage from said carriage-engaging means to the front end of said track, means for temporarily stopping the elevator at the rear end of the return track, an elevator that'releases said stopping means when the elevator is raised to carriage-receiving position at the rear end of the return track, and means for lowering the elegaging the carriage from above to move it with a gripped blank forward along said drawing track to a position at which the blank is released from v the die'and carriage and drops down awayfrom them, an elevator for raising the released carriage from said drawingtrack to the front end of the return track, the upper reach of said endless means adapted to return the carriage along urn track, an elevator for lowering the recarriage from the rear end of the return traek- -to blankgripping position in front of the diefmeans for tilting the rear elevator longitudinally to align it with the inclined rear end of the return track, and releasable means for holding the rear elevator against tilting in front of the die while the carriage is being removed from the .elevator.

8.'A draw-bench comprising a blankripping carriage adapted to be positioned in front of a die, .an endless chain extending forward away from the die and having a lower strand for detachably engaging the carriage from above to move it with a Slipped blank forward away from the die to a'position at which the blank is released from the die and carriage and'drops down away from them, a return track above the upper strand of said chain, means for elevating the released carriage'from said lower strand to the front end of said track, the upper strand of thechain being adapted to return the carriage along front of the die.

vator to lower the carriage to blank-gripping position in front of the die.

'7. A draw-bench comprising a blank-gripping carriage adapted to be positioned in front of a die, a drawing track extending forward from the die 9. A draw-bench comprising a blank-gripping carriage adapted to be positioned in front'of a die, endless traveling means extending forward away from the die and having a lower reach, said carnage being provided with a vertically swmgable connecting member adapted to be detach ably engaged from above by said lower reach to move the carriage with a gripped blank forward away from the die to a position at which the blank is released from the die and carriage and drops down away from them, the pivoted connection of said member to the carriage bodybeing substantially on a level with said lower reach while the carriage is being moved forward, a return track above the upper reach of said means, means for elevating the released carriage from said lower reach to the front end of said track, and means for lowering the carriage from the rear end of the return track to blank-gripping position in front of the die.

10. A draw-bench comprising a blank-gripping carriage adapted to be positioned in front of a die, a track extending forward from the die and having a pair of laterally spaced rails, an endless chain havinga lower strand extending along the track between said rails and adapted to pull the carriage with a gripped blank forward along the rails to a position at which the blank is released from the die and carriage and drops down away from them, a return track above the upper strand of said chain, means for elevating the re-.

leased carriage from said lower strand to the frontwend .of said return track, the upper strand of the chain being adapted to return the carriage along" said return track, and means for lowering the returned carriage from the rear end of the retumtrack to blank-nipping position in front of the die.

11. A draw-bench comprisin: a blank-gripping carriage adapted to be positioned in front of a die. means above the carriage for detachably ensazins it to move it with a gripped blank forward away from-the die to a position at which the blank is released from the die and carriage and drops down away from them, a return track, means for transferring the released carriage from said carriase-enxalrins means to the front end of said track, and means for transferring the carriage from the rear end of the track to blankgripping position in front of the die.

12. A draw-bench comprising a die. a support for the die, a track connected to the front of said support and extending forward away from it, a blank-gripping carriage adapted to be positioned on the track in front of the die. on end iesschain extendin forwardawayfromthedie andhavinzalower strand for detachably enming the carriage from above to move it with a gripped blank forward along the track away from of said chain, means for elevating the released carriage from said lower strand to the front end orsaid track,theupperstrandofthechainbeins adapted toreturnthecarriageaionzsaidtrack, and means for lowering the returned carriase from the rear end of the return track to blanksrippiu: position in front of the die.

EARL KNUDBEN. HOWARD H. TALBOT. 

